A War is Raging
by RememberMeDarling
Summary: Tyler has been kept home all of 7th year, completely shut out from the only life she has and now with a war raging at Hogwarts she had to see her best friend and her love at least one time...in case it would be her very last.


The sky was dark and crackled as I stared out my kitchen window and my chest felt heavier than lead as I watched the grey emptiness outside. My little brother Andrew now towered above me at his age of 16 and mine 17, he stood next to me and wrapped his left arm around my shoulders pulling me close in silent comfort. War was raging at Hogwarts and we knew it, but there was nothing we could do. Our Aunt and Uncle would not let us return to Hogwarts this year for many reasons and now we couldn't even be there to defend our home because of it.

Footsteps came quickly down the stairs and my heart pounded as I went towards the person making the noisy steps, "Uncle Drew, I have to help them I have-

"You don't have to do anything Tyler," he said in an even tone, "all you need to do is stay home. Stay here and look after your cousins with your Aunt."

My whole body felt of lead at the thought of staying here, "I can't do that. I need to go and defend Hogwarts-

"Why!?" he yelled holding one of his boots in his hand.

My left foot stepped forward, "You know why! All of my best friends are risking their lives out there and I may never see them again! I haven't seen or heard from Seamus in over year because of this nonsense and I want to be there when it ends!"

Uncle Drew struggled to pull his overcoat on, "You'll not be going Tyler! I forbid it! Don't you raise your voice at me I'm trying to protect you!"

"I DON'T NEED PROTECTION," I screamed lunging at him before Andrew caught my arms, "AND I'LL RAISE MY VOICE IF I WANT TO! Where do you think you're going then!?"

By this point he was red in the face and headed towards the door, "I'm going to check in with the Order members."

My chest was heaving with anger I felt towards my Uncle, "And you'll be taking me with you then or I'll-

"SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH TYLER!" he hollered yanking open the front door, "YOU WILL STAY IN THIS HOUSE AND BE HERE WHEN I RETURN DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!?" His rhetorical question echoed off the stairwell and he slammed the door shut behind him.

"I HATE HIM!" I cried running up to my bedroom slamming the door shut behind me. My blood boiled as I collapsed on my bed feeling suddenly exhausted and I cried into my pillow thinking of everyone at Hogwarts.

Seamus specifically, he was the one on my mind the most. We'd been together for three years now and one of them we hadn't even seen or spoken to each other. Owls were surveyed because of the takeover of deatheaters and not one letter would have gotten through or gone unread by any of the ministry interceptors. I missed him more than anything and my head hurt so much from constantly wondering and worrying if he's alright or not, it was a maddening thing for anyone.

Then there was Jazz…my best friend for nearly forever. Jasmine Snape, the newest Headmaster's daughter, had no choice of going back to Hogwarts. Godric knows this was a difficult time for Slytherins, many were already decided where their loyalties lie, but for people like Jazz one had to make tough decisions with little time to make them. My only concern is that she won't have to hurt anyone…

"Tyler," my door creaked open to reveal my brother Andrew looking at me with his puppy brown eyes.

I groaned sitting up attempting to clean my face, "What?"

He came in room silently and sat down next to me on the bed. There was a long silence before he sighed, "You really want to go don't you?"

His quiet voice set me at ease and I fell into his shoulder, "More than anything," Andrew got up slowly and pulled out his wand, "How-how did you get that?" I asked in a light crackly voice. Our Uncle had taken our wands when the war broke out knowing one of us would try to leave and help.

He gave a small smile and twirled it between his fingers, "Nicked it after Uncle Drew left, Aunt Bella was too busy calming the twins down to watch me."

I leaped up wrapping my arms around him, "Thank you so much Andy."

"Ah ah, wait," he pushed me away looking stone serious, "I'm coming too."

"No!" I whisper yelled, "You're my little brother!"

"And you're my big sister!"

The tension in the air thinned as we felt the same thing…we cared, "Alright, but you stay close."

He nodded gripping my hand tightly. A sudden feeling surged us forward, like a hook behind our belly buttons and there was the feeling of being sucked through a straw before a loud popping noise broke the feeling. We were standing just outside Hog's Head in an alley when a sharp cat screech sounded piercing our ears and echoing off the streets.

Andrew covered my ears instinctively when an old man with striking blue eyes open a door near us, "Get in!" he whispered in a gruff voice ushering us inside. We hurried inside the musty pub and followed him up some stairs into a small living area, "You're in luck you two I was just about to leave to help the lot at Hogwarts. If I'd gone and sooner you'd be dead on the spot."

"Right," Andrew spoke up stepping forward to shake the old man's hand, "thank you very much sir."

I nodded in agreement when I saw a young girl traveling back with a familiar looking boy from a painting behind the man. Suddenly the painting swung open to reveal a very bruised and bloodied Neville, "Well looks like we've got a couple more then Aberforth?"

The old man nodded and went past him.

I ran forward and wrapped my arms around Neville, "Oh my goodness Neville what's happened to you!?"

He smiled shaking his head giving Andrew a hug as well, "Punishment from the Carrows."

We followed him into the damp tunnel behind the painting, "Punishment for what?"

Neville looked ahead squinting, "We were told to practice the Cruciatis Curse in first years in Defense. I wouldn't do it," there was a small pause of silence before he opened his eyes better to see the new portrait hole light in front of us, "Seamus is a lot worse, wait till you see."

A sudden drop was felt from my chest to the pit of my stomach and a knot formed in my throat making me stop.

"Ty," Andrew whispered, "you can't go see him if you just stand here."

Neville looked at me nervously, realizing what had made me stop, "I mean he's alright!"

My legs moved me forward again until we finally reached the portrait hole and exited the tunnel in the Room of Requirement, "Neville where is everyone?"

He looked around and sighed, "On the battlefield. This is where I'll have to leave you two; I need to find some of the others."

Neville ran off and disappeared with the sound of a heavy castle door and I stood there letting the tips of my fingers and toes go numb.

"Tyler," Andrew placed a hand on my shoulder, "I'm going to help them they need a big guy like me out there."

"I'm coming too," I spoke up looking into his now grown up looking face. It was hard to look at my little brother and see such a grown up in him.

He shook his head and held me at arm's length by my shoulders, "No sis, you're staying here and staying safe, I'll just send Seamus to you or something."

I shrugged him off and walked around him towards the door, "You know as well as I do that he's not going to risk coming up here and someone following him. I'm coming with you and it will help to have a Ravenclaw in the field anyway."

Andrew groaned at his failed attempt to keep me in here and he knew better than anyone that I was too stubborn to give up anytime soon, "Fine, let's go."

Just as we stepped out the door we could see walls crumbling and heard distant cries of war and spells sounding off on the stone walls. There was no time to sit around and write a novel of the war scene though; we could be dead at any second if we let our guard down. This instantly made my stomach drop and I had to lean onto Andy for support.

He rushed through the halls and down staircases keeping a tight grip on my arm and not once letting his concentration break as he held his wand at the ready. Nearly toppling over on many steps Andrew's tall stature was beginning to get difficult to hold on to and as we rounded one of the last corners on the second floor his grip slipped away leaving me to feel more cold and alone than I'd ever known. He didn't even notice and kept running through the corridors as fast as his long legs could carry him and I lost sight tripping over my own feet trying to run after him.

"Andy!" I hollered with fear brimming in my voice. No answer. He'd gone into the battle now.

Sighing I stood up and pushed away the pain that attacked my left ankle and ran to the nearest staircase. First floor, I'd tell myself in my head where I was to help me be on the lookout. When I rounded the corner opposite of the great hall I was not expecting to run full on into another person.

She held me at length pointing her wand to my throat, her hazel eyes wild, "Jasmine," I breathed watching her soot and ash covered face soften revealing the kind best friend of mine that I'd always known.

Her freckled face looked indifferent but her eyes told me she was scared too, "Tyler."

We embraced one another in silence only being able to hear the sound of our fear stricken beating hearts in our chests. When we separated she gave me a look like she had something to say, "I know," I mumbled watching her nod in response. Running our separate ways that could've been the last time I'd see her again, it was best to not say too much. Spells whistled over my head and collided with stone walls shattering them and I realized that this was no war to be taken lightly, this was no duel to be won in a matter of minutes with simpleton spells…this was life or death in less than a second.

Looking around through the windows on the front grounds I saw many familiar students, mostly Gryffindors, but this gave me hope that I'd find Seamus.

"TYLER," an Irish accent rang off the caste walls behind me and I spun around but just as quick as I saw him I was tackled to the ground.

"Aw, tut, tut," the hairy Fenrir Greybeck had me thrown to the floor and under his clawed grip, "the little pretty came to find her little boyfriend did she? That's too bad…"

Tears flooded my eyes as I squirmed trying to wiggle out of the werewolf's iron grip. A stream of light hit him knocking him across the hall into the bricks and I got on my feet shaking. He was knocked out for now, the light wasn't the same as the killing curse.

"Tyler," an Irish accent breathed as I was pulled into a warm chest, "What are you doing here?"

Seamus' heart was beating rapidly, "I had to come and help, I had to see you and Jazz! I had to-

"You didn't have to Tyler you could've died!" he croaked his hands shaking by my sides.

My own mind was scattered and I couldn't seem to know what to pay attention to the war or my love, "Seamus I had to see you again, what if I never did? I had to come here and find you and tell you that I love you."

His eyes glistened under his dirty, bruised, and bloodied face, "I love you too," even under the scars and the swelling I saw that Irish man I fell for in third year again, "Go back to the Room of Requirement, and stay safe for me."

My heart fell a little, "I can't do that, I'm going to fight with you."

"No you're not," he said firmly, "I don't want to risk losing you, we've already lost too many."

A small flicker went off inside me, "My brother is out here, I have to find him."

Seamus sighed in frustration checking the area around us, "I'll find him and keep him safe Tyler. Go hide and stay safe please!"

A wall just a few yards away from us shattered covering us in ash and dust, "No."

This would go on forever and Seamus knew it too so he dropped it completely and took my hand while we ran through the battlegrounds searching for loved ones and shooting spells at those who attacked.

**After The War**

We won.

The Great War had finally ended and we had won. No more Voldemort, no more deatheaters, no more evil in the walls of Hogwarts. We sat on a stone pillar that had fallen in the Great Hall, we consisting of me, Andrew, Seamus, and Jasmine. Sure we had lost many who made our lives a little fuller, Jasmine lost a father, we all lost Fred, Seamus lost Lavender…but in the end we still had each other and that was the most important thing at the moment. Without each other, I think we'd just lose ourselves completely but here we were…sipping tea and smiling to each other like it was another day at school…


End file.
